I was once told that I wasn’t a “true fan” of a specific band because I enjoyed their latest song, which “every true fan would know that it was one of their worst songs and no true fan likes it”. This bothered me for multiple reasons: For one thing, for a brief moment, I felt foolish for liking something as simple as a song and secondly, I was confused about what the definition of a “true fan” was. What qualifies somebody to be a “true fan” of anything? Do they have to know the birth years of every single band member/actor/author or do they just have to enjoy one aspect of their work?

I find statements like these obnoxious and annoying, and it seems to be happening everywhere. Suddenly, wearing Uggs and drinking Starbucks is labeled as a “basic bitch” thing to do; it becomes something to avoid because no one wants to be a “basic bitch”. But why do those words apply to something as mundane as enjoying a frappucino or wanting your feet to be warm in the winter?

Suddenly, in the artistic realm, being a “true fan” of a book series/band/artist/etc. means that you have to know everything about them, read/listened/seen everything that they done, know which parts of their work aren’t as good as others, and more, and more, and more. It seems like there is a laundry list of things you have to do before you’re “allowed” to express enjoyment in something without being quizzed and belittled.

The long story short of all of this is people should not have to face criticism for liking a song, a drink, a type of shoe, a musical, a book, or really anything. To put it bluntly, who cares? It seems more like a waste of time because why put forth the energy of putting others down and questioning their knowledge in comparison to your own?

I think it is so important to encourage those around us to try new and different things, and it is counterproductive to shame people for being unaware of or not as knowledgeable on whatever this thing is, whether it is a very popular band or a Starbucks drink. While it is awesome to have a deep understanding of the things you are passionate about, it is even greater to share those with others, see their perspective, and appreciate their opinion.